[BOOK REVIEW] UPMORCHARD BY R. OSTERMEIER

14/8/2021

an atmospheric and enjoyable read, reaching a conclusion that leaves the reader guessing; not in a head-scratching, ‘what the hell was that all about?’ kind of way, but one that leaves you revisiting what you have read and digging into the meaning of the stones.

[Book Review] UPMORCHARD by R. Ostermeier
by Mark Walker

“You belong to me until morning.”

Brooding, mysterious words, most apt for a brooding and mysterious tale set in the remote corners of the South West Peninsula.

Upmorchard concerns itself with the wanderings of Watts Barlik – Barley – taking time out to walk the Peninsula coast before starting his first research post. Although trying to escape academia, he hears talk of mysterious stones unearthed on an old spit island and is drawn into the orbit of two researchers struggling to understand the strange writing which covers the fascinating discovery. It is not long before he is seduced by the secrets of the stones and soon begins to experience unsettling dreams and visions of a disturbing past.

To say any more would be to spoil the story.

Ostermeier weaves a gripping tale of mystery, secrets, and suspense, drawing the reader into Barley’s world and not letting go until they have been taken from the ordinary, rational world of the academic, and been thrust into a realm of disturbing visions and frightening history.

At just over eighty pages, Upmorchard is a quick read and I found myself hooked straight away. I enjoyed Ostermeier’s style and voice and was reminded of the work of Lovecraft through the vivid descriptions of the real, sometimes mundane world, contrasted with the disturbing and horrific. There was definitely something about Upmorchard that was reminiscent of the atmosphere and creeping dread of At the Mountains of Madness.

As a short, the number of characters is limited, but they are well crafted with distinct voices. They feel real.

In a few places I felt that Upmorchard suffered a little from ‘over-writing,’ in the same way that some (all?) of Lovecraft’s work can, but never enough to distract from the read and, in many cases, contributing to the style befitting such a tale. There were a couple of errors in continuity that forced me to read one or two passages twice, but that may have been more noticeable because I was reading for a review, rather than purely for pleasure. Again, I don’t feel these would be a major cause for concern for the majority of readers.

Ultimately, I found Upmorchard to be an atmospheric and enjoyable read, reaching a conclusion that leaves the reader guessing; not in a head-scratching, ‘what the hell was that all about?’ kind of way, but one that leaves you revisiting what you have read and digging into the meaning of the stones. Upmorchard is likely to reveal more of its secrets on a second or even third read through and it is crafted well enough to warrant a return.

I had a fascinating time in Upmorchard… but I don’t think I want to visit!

Recommended for fans of Lovecraft or anyone with a penchant for folk stories and creepy tales.

“Here lie our children, still and cold, put to sleep by swords.”

R. Ostermeier, Upmorchard, Hardback

Strictly limited to one hundred copies, and never to be reprinted as a standalone volume, Upmorchard revisits the peninsula’s past for the tale of Watts Barlik – Barley – who is drawn to an abandoned fishing hamlet and the stone artefact housed there--
“With prompting, Mrs Lofts told him all about the discovery. Out there in the darkness was what she called a spit island, Gloy Ness. The island’s geography and composition was impermanent. The shingle was endlessly reformed by storms, the tide, littoral drift. Ten years previously a feral storm uncovered a vast area of human-made artefacts. Gloy Ness was roughly five miles long, and it shifted quickly in tough-weather years so whatever the artefacts were, they took them out in case of damage (or loss) had the island reformed over it.
By this time Barley was like a dog with its teeth stuck in a toffee. He leaned towards what he could see of the woman, hoping the dark would rattle more out of her. It did—.”

Purchase a copy here

https://broodcomb.co.uk/?page_id=84

mark walker

Mark is an NHS worker living in Gloucestershire with his family and a plethora of pets, including rats, guinea pigs, a rabbit, beetles, tarantulas, chickens and degus. When he is not working or feeding the animals (not to each other) he writes screenplays and short stories as well as working on his first novels that, one day, might see the light of day. Funnily enough, the subject matter of the majority of this writing is Horror. While he has dabbled in drama and family films, he is always drawn back to ghouls and ghosties and all things grotty. He currently has a number of short stories published across three compilations.

He has had a fascination with the dark side ever since begging and begging to be allowed to stay up late and watch things like The Horror Express or Salem's Lot, before crapping himself to sleep (which is a euphemism, he hastens to add). Introduced to the works of Dennis Wheatley by his mum, it was only a matter of time before he was getting Stephen King for Chistmas (books, not the actual man) with notes from his grandparents asking if his mother knew he was reading this stuff. This also led to his mum questioning his friends as to the state of his mind as his interest in horror grew... which was strange, seeing as it was her fault for telling him to read Wheatley and letting him stay up to watch Salem's Lot in the first place!

Anyway, fast forward to now and he still loves watching and reading horror, as well as trying to write it. Favourite books and films? Well, that will be a long list. Mark has always loved Stephen King but is hoping working with GNoH will help broaden his horizons to new writers, which can only be a good thing. Film-wise, it is hard to pin down as he enjoys a wide variety of films from both the past and the present. From Alien, The Thing and The Shining to Ringu, Midsommar and Fear Street, if it has monsters and things that go bump in the night, he is happy.

He can currently be found trying to corrupt his daughters by sharing many of his favourite films and rising to their challenge when they say the last one wasn't all that scary....